Why Ya Cover Firewood

[BrotherBart]

It has now been raining around the clock for two solid days and won't be letting up anytime soon. If I still only top covered it would be all over for me this year. The ends of the top covered stacks for the next two years are soaked and will be for a long time.

Fortunately that shed I build two years ago has this seasons wood sitting high and dry inside.

 

[fossil]

Yuck. You have my educated sympathy.

 

[rdust]

It has now been raining around the clock for two solid days and won't be letting up anytime soon. If I still only top covered it would be all over for me this year. The ends of the top covered stacks for the next two years are soaked and will be for a long time.

Fortunately that shed I build two years ago has this seasons wood sitting high and dry inside.

Nonsense, I know you don't really think a couple days of rain water would ruin your year! I only top cover and never have a problem. If I get some sideways rain that drenches the side of the stacks I bring a couple days worth of wood into the house and it's dry before I need to burn it. I always keep some wood in my shed just in case I get caught with my pants down and get a heavy rain or snow with no wood in the house.

 

[BrotherBart]

With the tall trees around this joint wind and sun ain't in the equation. I know. This ain't my first rodeo.

 

[JOHN BOY]

Thats the whole reason i completely cover when October hits. I dont want my firewood getting any rain at all on it .

 

[xman23]

Bart, I'm in your camp. I cover the stacks the day they are split. My oak doesn't get burned for 3 or 4 years. I just stacked some oak that had soft, punkey sap wood. Stuff like that is a sponge. If my stacks got wet the black ants would move in.

 

[rdust]

Thats the whole reason i completely cover when October hits. I dont want my firewood getting any rain at all on it .

I guess I fail to see the problem if it gets wet in July or October. It's not like you're tossing the splits in a pool.

I have a small stack of chunks next to my shed right now on some cinder blocks with no cover. It rained all last weekend, I sorted through the pile on Monday and everything was wet on the surface, by Tuesday they were completely dry to the touch. I split some down for kindling so I pulled the meter out for kicks and it was all in the high teens on the inside surface, the outside wasn't even in the teens more like 10-12.

I guess we're beating a dead horse with this, it's right up there with bark up or bark down, cat or non cat. Some will never understand the full cover, top cover or any cover at all depending on the camp you're in. I fall into the top cover camp.

 

[JOHN BOY]

I guess we all have are ways . Will each do what has worked for us over the years . Kinda like ford or chevy ..

 

[rdust]

I guess we all have are ways . Will each do what has worked for us over the years . Kinda like ford or chevy ..

Exactly! BB has trees, no sun and no wind, he does what works for him.

 

[fire_man]

I'm in BrotherBart's camp. We are shaded by tall trees, with no sun and poor wind. The one time I didn't cover a stack, two years later it was a slimy fungus covered mess. My top covered stacks are always bone dry.

 

[JOHN BOY]

He should at least have the wind ? I can understand the shade and no sun .. but no wind ever . I think he's blowing alot of hot air thats wind aint it

 

[BrotherBart]

The tops of the trees can be bending and at ground level it is just a breeze. Go figure. The place drops off on three sides 50 feet from the house at the tree line on the sides of the prevailing winds. Must be something to do with that. Hell if I know.

ETA: One place there is wind at high noon. In the woodshed. I installed a solar gable fan in it this year. And move the next years wood into it in May.

 

[osagebow]

It has now been raining around the clock for two solid days and won't be letting up anytime soon. If I still only top covered it would be all over for me this year. The ends of the top covered stacks for the next two years are soaked and will be for a long time.

Fortunately that shed I build two years ago has this seasons wood sitting high and dry inside.

Glad I finally got a shed done - sending you even more rain tonight, enjoy. It's been a tough start to bow season.

 

[JOHN BOY]

The tops of the trees can be bending and at ground level it is just a breeze. Go figure. The place drops off on three sides 50 feet from the house at the tree line on the sides of the prevailing winds. Must be something to do with that. Hell if I know.

ETA: One place there is wind at high noon. In the woodshed. I installed a solar gable fan in it this year. And move the next years wood into it in May.

You must be in the eye of your property that would explain it then ..BB Kinda like the eye of hurricane i guess.

 

[rdust]

I'm in BrotherBart's camp. We are shaded by tall trees, with no sun and poor wind. The one time I didn't cover a stack, two years later it was a slimy fungus covered mess. My top covered stacks are always bone dry.

No you're not, from what I read his camp is a full cover camp and you're the top covered camp.

If I still only top covered it would be all over for me this year. The ends of the top covered stacks for the next two years are soaked and will be for a long time.

 

[BrotherBart]

Glad I finally got a shed done - sending you even more rain tonight, enjoy. It's been a tough start to bow season.

Flooding all over the place around here tonight. The stream under/over my driveway looks like a rapids. Thanks for the gift.

 

[BrotherBart]

The other problem is that half of the house site drains right under the stacks. Never dry under there. If it ain't one thing it is another. If I completely covered the stacks they would be oak soup in two years.

We all have our wood burning crosses to bear. I will get the hang of this stuff some day.

 

[BrotherBart]

No you're not, from what I read his camp is a full cover camp and you're the top covered camp.

Still a top cover guy. Always have been from the day it is split. The full cover is the next seasons stuff in the shed.

 

[rdust]

Still a top cover guy. Always have been from the day it is split. The full cover is the next seasons stuff in the shed.

Phew! Thanks for the clarification, I was worried about you!

 

[BrotherBart]

I did do full cover a few years ago. When burning season started I pulled the rubber roofing down front and back on this stack. The year Snowmaggedon hit here with three feet of snow. Not only did I have to dig my way out to the pile three times, the snow was piled on the roofing laying in front of the stacks and I had to dig it off. Then I had to hump the rubber back up on the stack. Not to mention digging out to the generator shack three times to gas it because the power was out for a week.

Damn near killed this old man. I built the shed right behind the house that Spring. With a generator shed attached and a covered walkway to both of them.

"Riggs I am getting too old for this $#%^."

 

[BrotherBart]

Just found a pic of that stack during the storm.

 

[Woody Stover]

The tops of the trees can be bending and at ground level it is just a breeze. Go figure. The place drops off on three sides 50 feet from the house at the tree line on the sides of the prevailing winds.

That makes sense; The wind hits the slope and is moving up, and your stacks are in the eddy of the air currents.

 

[jharkin]

I'm with you BB. We are well into the trees here to and strong wind doesn't get down to ground much. I have to cover and single row or nothing ever dries.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I see no problem leaving green cut and split wood out for a year or maybe two uncovered, however I've seen lots of stacks of wood left uncovered for years that have gone rotten, but I've never seen wood that was properly sheltered and kept dry go rotten. It can take years for the rot on uncovered wood to develop, depending on the type of wood and the local climate, but it will eventually happen.
One thing for sure there's nothing worse then digging out and bringing in wood that's covered in ice and snow, that's just not fun.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This was just at the start of winter. In the second picture, the splitter is all covered rather than only top covered.